In the Arms of the Angels
by Kutlessrocker
Summary: Roxas and Xion's first wedding anniversary is today.  Their day is ruined by one phone call.  Will their marriage be able to survive?  Roxas/Xion with a little Sora/Kairi.  Rated T cause I wasn't sure.


Hey, guys. It's Josh again. Here's the sequel to my story, "My Black Dahlia". I love it when people review. Tell me if you think it is as good as/better than My Black Dahlia, or if it has something lacking. I always welcome friendly advice because I want to improve my writing. I hope you have as much fun reading this as I did writing it. I hope to continue to write more stories in the future because writing is one of my passions. Also, check out my on-going story "Kingdom Hearts: Shattered Hearts" on my profile and my favorite stories if you want. I also try to keep my profile updated with the latest news on upcoming stories. I'm planning a Twilight fanfic for sometime in the future, but I haven't started on it yet and it probably won't be until after finals in 4 weeks. And now, without further delay, I give you the next chapter in Roxas and Xion's crazy life. Warning: This is very long for a one-shot. If I had divided it up, it probably would have been about 4 chapters, but I couldn't divide it in a way that would make sense because of the way the scenes transition.

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Beeeeeeeeep!

"Ugh," I said. It seemed like that alarm clock started ringing earlier every day! I didn't want to wake up, but Hayner asked me to open up the bookstore this morning and I couldn't refuse. I'd much rather stay here with my wife, Xion. We'd been married a whole year today. I hated that I had to work on our anniversary, but I had to make a living for us. She would have to wake up a little later as well for her classes.

I looked to my left at the raven-haired angel that lay beside me. The sunlight coming through the window made her thick, black hair shine like a million diamonds. She had let it grow down to shoulder-length like her sister's. She looked just like her red-head, twin sister, Kairi, but I always preferred this sister. Kairi was always too girly. Xion understood guys like me. And there we were, married and together forever. I'd never been happier in my life.

"I love you, beautiful," I whispered, trying not to wake her.

"Mmm…love you too, Roxas," she mumbled in her sleep. She scooted over a little away from me and stole the blankets I was no longer using. She was cute without even trying. I ran my fingers through her dark hair and she smiled a faint smile in her sleep. It was hard to believe that a little over a year ago, this was almost ruined. I had caught her cheating on me with my brother, Axel. The thoughts of that morning still made my heart ache.

I hadn't talked to Axel since the wedding, and even then, I didn't say much more than a "Hi" and "Bye". He had lived with our half-brother, Reno, for a few months until he could find a place of his own. He moved away to Traverse Town and I haven't even seen him since. I honestly didn't want to see him. In my heart, I wanted to make things right, but I also never wanted to see him again. It was so easy to forgive Xion, but not Axel. It didn't make sense. He was my own brother! But I couldn't get past what he did to me.

I reluctantly picked my feet up and shuffled quietly to the bathroom to take a shower. The hot water helped me wake up, but I still wanted to return to the arms of my wonderful wife. I stepped out of the small shower and dried myself off. I looked at my reflection in the fogged up mirror. Somehow, my blond hair was still spikey even when it was soaking wet. I spiked it up into its normal mess and put my clothes on.

I still had about 30 minutes before I had to leave. I decided to make some breakfast. When I got to the kitchen, Xion was already awake and preparing some scrambled eggs and bacon. I poured two cups of coffee and made some toast.

"So, Roxas," she said, "you do know what day it is, don't you?"

"It's our anniversary, right?" I said.

"Yep, have anything special planned?"

"Now that's a surprise, I can't tell you," I said.

"Oh, I like surprises," she said. I planned to take her out to eat at the best restaurant in town. Then afterward, I would take her to the top of the train station's tower where I proposed to her. I had a pretty full evening planned out for us. Not to mention anything else that wasn't explicitly planned out.

The time came for me to leave. I kissed Xion goodbye. I had to force myself to pull away from her sweet lips. "Bye Xion, see you later, I love you," I said.

"I love you too, Roxas," she said.

"I'll be home a little earlier since I'm taking over Hayner's shift," I said. Hayner had a day planned with his girlfriend, Olette. He told me he was going to ask her to marry him. They had been dating for as long as Xion and I had been. I thought it was about time. Sora and Kairi also had a little date planned for today. He was taking her on vacation to the underwater metropolis, Atlantica, the newest architectural wonder. The whole city was in an underwater dome several hundred feet below the ocean's surface. I planned to take Xion there soon because it was just outside of Twilight Town.

"I'll be waiting, baby," she said with a small, seductive voice. I couldn't wait to get home and see what she had planned for me; let alone what I had planned.

I left our home and drove to my dead-end job at the bookstore. I was co-owner with Hayner so I already had a key to get in. The whole day was pretty normal. A few customers came in and bought a few books each, mostly teenage girls buying the Twilight books. I had read all five of them and liked them. Working at a low-rate bookstore, I didn't have much else to do but read.

The day flew by pretty quick and my shift was over in a flash. Pence, the other employee and an old friend of mine, came to take over and I left for home. I walked through the door and Xion was lying on the couch, asleep. Her last class had been cancelled and she came home early. She was wearing the nightgown I had bought for her on her twenty-third birthday last year. She was so beautiful as she slept. I walked over to the couch and lightly touched her shoulder. Her beautiful blue eyes opened slowly to see me hovering over her. I planted a light kiss on her soft, pink lips and ran my fingers through her hair.

"Rise and shine, beautiful," I said.

"Hey Roxas," she said, "I'm glad you're home." She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me in closer to kiss me again. Our little moment was ruined by the phone ringing. I walked over to the phone and saw on the caller ID that it was Sora's cell phone.

"Hello," I said.

"Roxas," he said his voice shaky and panic stricken, "you and Xion have to come here quickly!"

"What's wrong?" I asked. "And where are you?"

"We're at St. Ansem Memorial Hospital here in Twilight Town! It's Kairi, something is wrong with her. She doesn't have much time left!" he said.

"What? Is she dying or something?" I asked. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. How could Kairi be dying? She was perfectly healthy last week when I saw her and Sora!

"Yes," he was crying so hard that his voice was shaky. "Just get over here now!"

"Ok, Sora," I said, "we'll be there as soon as possible." He hung up the phone and I turned to Xion.

"Xion, we have to get to the hospital," I told her.

"Why? What's wrong?" she asked. Fear was thick in her voice.

"It's your sister, Kairi. She's dying!" I replied. Xion's face contorted into the most heartbreaking thing I've ever seen. She fell into my arms and cried harder than I had ever seen her cry in her life.

"No! This can't happen!" she screamed. "My...sister…can't…die!" she choked through her heavy tears.

I drove to the hospital well past the legal speed limit. I had to get us there before it was too late. We arrived at the hospital in record time and had little trouble in finding her room. She looked like she was in so much pain. Her once beautiful violet-blue eyes had dark circles around them. She looked thinner; sickly thinner. And she was much paler, like she had lost a lot of blood. I wondered what could have done this to her so quickly.

"Sora, what's going on with her?" I asked. I had to know what happened.

"The doctors say she has cancer throughout her body. They said she's had it for a long time and it started in her breasts, and then slowly worked its way to the rest of her vital organs. I don't know how this happened! She was just fine earlier this morning. It started a few miles before we arrived in Twilight Town. She complained about how she didn't feel too great. The next thing I knew she vomited blood all over the car and blacked out. She's been going downhill ever since!" he said. The pain in my brother-in-law's voice was more than I could bear. His wife was dying and there was nothing he could do about it. "What am I going to do, Roxas? I love her so much! How am I going to live without her?"

"I don't know, Sora," I said. I tried my best to comfort him. I turned to see Xion curled up in the corner. She wasn't moving. She was only staring at Kairi with big, blue, broken eyes. A few small tears escaped her eyes and I could tell that she had pretty much shut down because she couldn't deal with her older, twin sister's imminent death. My heart was breaking for all three of them. Xion for losing her sister, Sora for losing his wife, and Kairi, whose last moments on this earth would be full of pain and misery. I couldn't just sit by and watch them in pain like this. But I couldn't do anything about it. My heart was breaking as well. Kairi was my friend and she was dying right before my eyes.

Kairi woke up a few minutes after we arrived. She somehow looked worse than she had just minutes before. Her voice was scratchy and weak.

"Hey guys," she managed to squeak out weakly. My heart ached to see her like this. "It's good to see you all." I couldn't bear to see her like this. She had been generous enough to take me in last year when I needed a place to stay after Xion's affair with Axel. She didn't deserve to die like this! I couldn't understand why this had to happen to one of the kindest people I had ever met.

"Kai, you need to rest," Sora told her.

"I'm fine, Sora. You don't need to worry," she said. I could tell that it hurt for her to speak. She was in so much pain and there was nothing any of us could do to help her. The doctors had only given her a few hours to live, and most of that was already spent.

"Kairi, you're dying! How can you say that there's no reason to worry?" he asked.

"Because I'm fine with it," she said. I remembered Kairi went to church. I wasn't sure what denomination she belonged to, but she was as devout as they came. She was always trying to talk us into going to church with her. Sora was agnostic. The one thing he couldn't agree with Kairi on was religion. But I could tell that she was starting to get to him. He was probably wishing that he would have gone with her more. "I'm not scared, Sora," she said. "I know what's going to happen to me."

"But Kairi,"

"No buts, Sora!" she said. Even while dying, she was still the same, stubborn Kairi we all loved dearly. "Sora, I just want you to remember that there was never a moment that I didn't love you. I'll see you again someday."

"How can you be so sure, Kairi?" he asked.

"I just know," she said, "I've spent my whole life preparing for this, Sora!"

"But Kairi…" he said. He knew there was no use in arguing with her. He didn't want their last conversation to be like that. "I love you so much, Kai."

"I love you too, Sora," she replied. "Xion, come here please."

"Please don't die, Kairi," she squeaked. It killed me inside to see my wife in so much pain. I just knew that Xion would never get over this. Her sister was her best friend! How was she supposed to deal with this? And on her wedding anniversary! It just didn't seem fair. How could this happen in such a short time?

"I'm going to die whether I want to or not," she said. "Nothing can stop it. Just remember, Xion, that I've always loved you, sis."

"I love you too, Kairi," my beautiful wife said with deep sorrow in her voice.

"Roxas, come over here, please," she said. I walked over to Kairi and kneeled next to her bed. "Take care of my baby sister, will you?"

"Yes, Kairi. I'll take good care of her. We're all going to miss you so much, Kairi," I said, trying unsuccessfully to hold back my tears.

"I know, but I also know that you will be ok. It's my time to go and I'm ready."

Kairi slowly closed her eyes and her face grew paler. Her breathing got faster and shallower by the second. Her heart monitor started beeping erratically and flat lined soon after. Doctors and nurses rushed in to try to revive her. They were unsuccessful in their attempts to bring her back. Kairi was pronounced dead. She looked so peaceful in death and beautiful too. There was a faint smile on her face. She was at peace. From the corner of my eye, I saw something. A bright white light illuminated the room. In the light, I saw a man standing there dressed in white and purple robes; looking at Kairi. He had a smile on his face and his arms were crossed and he was leaning against the wall. I could have sworn I saw deep, round scars on his wrists. No one else seemed to notice him. It was like he was invisible or something. He turned to look at me and I felt a wave of peace wash over my body. He smiled at me and I heard in my mind, "Don't worry, Roxas. Kairi is safe in my hands now." I believed him when he "said" that. Then, as suddenly as he appeared, he was gone. I walked over to Sora, who was grieving intensely, and said, "Sora, don't worry, she's at peace now. She's not in pain anymore."

He turned to me and said, "I know. And I just know I'll see her again someday."

"Did you…"

"Yes, I saw him," he said, cutting me off. It was like he knew what I was going to say. "She's in the arms of the angels now." He turned back around and embraced his dead wife's body. He cried softly into her crimson locks and kissed her forehead gently. He soon had to step away and watch helplessly as the attendants wheeled his lifeless love off to the hospital morgue. Xion walked over to me and embraced me tightly. She started to cry into my shoulder. Her sobbing became more and more intense with the seconds. This turned out to be the worst anniversary ever.

"I'm sorry, Xion," I said. "I know this has been the worst anniversary you could have had."

"It's ok, Roxas. The best gift I could have ever received was to be with my sister one last time and tell her I loved her," she said. I could tell that she was so broken inside. I embraced my beautiful, charcoal-haired wife in my arms as she silently grieved for the loss of her beloved sister. Seeing her like this made me think about Axel. I realized that none of us are promised a tomorrow. Kairi was only twenty-three years old and death came to take her away. What if he died before we could set things right between us? I had to find him and at least try to restore our friendship. I knew it would never be the same between us again, but we could at least put an end to the hate.

Xion and I took Sora home. I drove in my car with him and Xion followed us in his car. The ride was very silent for the most part. When we were about fifteen minutes away from the Destiny Islands, Sora finally spoke up.

"I still can't believe she's gone!" he said, disbelief saturated his voice.

"I know," I said. "How did she not know she had cancer?"

"Kairi never got checked for anything. It's not that she didn't believe in doctors, she just never went. Maybe if she would have gotten checked, she'd still be alive now," he said. The usually cheerful, easygoing Sora changed into a sober, serious, and depressed ghost of his former self.

"Well, we both know what we saw. Kairi's probably happier wherever she is now than she ever was in her life," I said. In our hearts we knew that we had seen Christ in that room with us. We didn't tell Xion because she would have never believed us anyway, but we knew what we saw.

"Yeah, I know," he added. "But I still wish she hadn't died!" He banged his fist on the dashboard so hard; I thought he was going to release the passenger side air bag! He shook his hand like it hurt when he hit it and it probably did.

"Just so you know, Xion and I are here for you," I said. "We'll help you with the funeral plans. We'll be there with you every step of the way for the rest of our lives."

"Thanks, Roxas. You really are a true friend. Xion is too," he said.

"It's no trouble at all," I said. "You've always been like a brother to me, Sora."

"Same here, Roxas," he said. I could see a faint smile on his face. He was going to get through this. He would survive.

We dropped Sora off at his house and said our goodbyes. We would keep in touch and help him with the funeral plans. Xion and I got into our car. I would occasionally look over to her. She had fallen asleep shortly after we left Sora's house. I hurt for him. This would be his first night without his wife! He would more than likely wake up and try to talk to her, only to remember that she was dead and he couldn't talk to her anymore.

Xion was talking in her sleep. I couldn't really understand her, but it sounded like she was talking to Kairi. She seemed to be asking her why she had to leave us. Small tears were streaming down her cheeks. I loved Xion with all my heart. It killed me to see her grieving so much.

I started thinking about what I would do if I were in Sora's position. I couldn't even imagine how I would go on if Xion were to die. I would probably die from grief! I had heard that it was possible to die of a broken heart. I banished those dark thoughts from my mind. Xion was here with me, and that was how it would stay!

I reached over to my wife and placed my hand on her left thigh. A faint smile appeared on her face from the contact. I rubbed my hand back and forth in an attempt to soothe her pain. Kairi was the only immediate family she had left. Their mom died when they were little. I think she died from cancer also. Their piece of crap father left them all alone a year later. They had to live with their abusive uncle, Cid Highwind. He was just some redneck that thought he could treat them any way he wanted. Xion never said so explicitly, but I think he may have raped one or both of them. The old geezer got what was coming to him though. He died from a massive heart attack shortly after Kairi and Xion graduated high school. It was the fourth one he had in a 2 day period.

Xion's eyes slowly drifted open. She placed her soft hand on my hand that was on her leg. She was still crying, but her tears had died down somewhat.

"Roxas," she said.

"Yes," I replied.

"Promise you won't ever leave me, please?" She asked.

"I promise," I said. Her big blue eyes held so much hidden pain. Kairi's death had really messed her up more than she was letting on. "I'll always be there for you, baby. I love you more than you will ever know!"

"I love you so much, Roxas," she said. She reached over and ran her delicate fingers through my spikey mess of hair. Her breathing was shaky as she tried to hold back her urge to cry. We had a long road ahead of us. She would have to get a little stronger every day. I felt a few small tears of my own escape from my eyes. I had been holding them back since Kairi died. She was one of my closest friends. We all grew up together. Axel and I would always go and hang out with Kairi, Xion, and Sora.

I masterminded so many pranks on Cid. I sometimes wondered if my pranks contributed to his declining health. I would smile a cruel smile when I thought I did! I hated him for what he would do to Kairi and Xion. When we were growing up, Kairi and Xion would always have bruises and cuts all over their bodies. I could also have sworn that whenever we went to the beach, I saw bruises on their inner thighs and the tops of their breasts. That contributed to my theory that he raped them.

I cleared my mind of the past. I looked at my beautiful wife lovingly. I would cherish every day with her because any day could be our last.

Xion was asleep when we arrived at our apartment. I picked her up and carried her to the door. She was light enough to carry up the flight of stairs to our second-floor apartment. She woke up as I was reaching to unlock the door. "Where are we," she said. She was still half asleep.

"We're home, Xion," I said.

"Ok," she sighed as she drifted back into sleep. She was just so cute when she was asleep. I loved the way her nose twitched when she was having a good dream. It was so sweet.

I carried her to our bed and placed her on her side of the bed. She would probably wake herself up in a few minutes and change her clothes. I tip-toed to the bathroom so I could change out of my clothes. I looked in the mirror and saw my reflection. I looked like I had just got hit by a truck! And that is exactly what I felt like, to be honest. Today had been such a rough day. I closed my eyes and splashed cold water on my face. As I reached for the towel to dry my face, I felt two tiny, frail arms wrap around my waist. I turned to see Xion. She buried her face into my chest and started to cry softly. The tears felt warm against my exposed chest. I wrapped my arms around her small frame and comforted her gently. She was broken and needed time to be fixed. We both knew the road to recovery wouldn't be easy, but we would get through this. In the end, life goes on. It may have seemed like our world was over, but it was just the beginning of a new chapter in our lives. "Happy Anniversary, Xion," I said. Not knowing if it was the right thing to say at the moment or not.

"Happy Anniversary, Roxas," she replied. "I love you."

"I love you too, Xion. I love you too," I said. We walked back to the bedroom together and fell into each other's arms as we got carried away with each other into the night.

A few days had passed. It was the morning of Kairi's funeral. She had told Sora a long time before that, if she died, she wanted to be cremated and have her ashes spread across the beach he proposed to her on. It was almost like she knew that she would die young. The morbid thought was quickly dismissed from my mind.

I wore a simple, black suit with a white shirt and black tie. I hated wearing these things, but it was a small sacrifice to try to look respectful for my dear friend's funeral. Xion wore a black dress that ended just below her knees. She pulled her hair up in a bun, something she rarely ever did because her hair used to be too short. She also wore two-inch high heels and heavy diamond earrings that I bought her for our anniversary a few days ago. I had bought them before Kairi died, but didn't get to give them to her until the other day. Xion looked so beautiful. I wished that the occasion could have been happier and not to lay her beloved sister to rest.

It was still so hard to believe that Kairi was really gone! We would never see her smiling face again. We would never hear her voice again or hear her laugh. The thought made my eyes well up with tears. Xion was already crying. I just knew it was going to be a long day. I walked across our bedroom to embrace my love and relieve her grief.

We arrived at the funeral about fifteen minutes early. It was being held at Kairi's church and her pastor would be performing the service. I had only met him once, the one time I had went to church with Kairi. He was a nice guy. I shook his hand as Xion and I walked through the door.

"It's good to see you, Roxas. You too, Xion," he said. "I'm sorry about your sister. She was a good young woman."

"Thank you, sir," I said. We walked up the aisle to the casket. Kairi looked so beautiful. The dark circles that had been under her eyes were covered by makeup that matched her skin tone, pale, and her violet-blue eyes were closed in the eternal sleep of death. Xion started to sob heavily at the sight of her dead sister. I wrapped my arm around her and comforted her. She buried her face into my jacket and cried. I cried softly into her shiny, black hair. Sora walked over to the coffin. The look on his face was too painful for me to even begin to describe. The tears flowed from my brother-in-law's face. Xion and I embraced him in our arms and held him like a little child. He was hurting so badly and he needed his family to be there.

I wasn't in the least bit surprised when Axel showed up. I had called him the day after and told him that Kairi had passed away. He agreed to come because Kairi was his friend too. I decided to walk over to my brother and try to straighten things out.

"Axel," I said, "I'm so glad you could make it."

"Oh, hey Roxas," he said. The tension between us was so thick; it was uncomfortable to even stand next to him. I tried not to think about what had happened between him and Xion because this wasn't about the affair; it was about celebrating Kairi's life and mourning her death. I asked if I could have a word with him. "Sure, but why do you want to talk to me again all of the sudden?" he asked.

"I have my reasons, Axel," I said. "I just don't want something to happen to one of us without our friendship being restored."

"You serious, Roxas?" he asked. "Do you really want to even things out between us? I hurt you, you should hate me!"

"I don't want to hate you, Axel. You're my brother! I've forgiven Xion, but I still felt horrible for not forgiving you. I have decided to let go of all the hurt I've been carrying around this past year," I said. It felt good to get all of this off of my chest. I walked closer to my brother and gave him a hug. "You're going to be stuck with me forever, Axel," I said. "You're my big brother, got it memorized?"

"Hey, 'got it memorized' is my line!" he said, letting out a light chuckle. "And you don't even use it right. That makes no sense!" I was so happy that we were starting to work out our relationship. It would be a miserable thing to go through life hating-or being hated by-your own brother.

Axel took a seat near the middle of the church while I went back to the front row to sit between Sora and Xion. The song, "Everything", by Lifehouse played. It was her favorite song, so we thought it was fitting for the occasion. Pastor Ron came up to the pulpit and delivered Kairi's eulogy. I can't explain all that he said about her because I was still in shock that she was actually dead. But I do remember that he spoke of how kind, gentle, and loving she was. When he was finished, Sora walked up and started to say a few words about his beloved wife.

"Kairi was the strongest person I had ever known. I…I love…I love…I loved her…so…sss…so much. I…I'm sorry, I can't do this," he said with tears flooding from his sky-blue eyes. He couldn't handle it and broke down right there in front of everybody. He ran from the church's main sanctuary to the youth group's room in the back. I decided to follow him.

It wasn't hard to find him. I could hear his cries of pain from all the way down the hall. He was even more broken than when she actually died. I guess it was because the funeral made it even more final. I mean, we were about to burn her body and scatter the ashes along the beach! How was he supposed to react? I walked over to him and sat down in the chair next to him at the large, rectangular table. I put my arm around his shoulder, trying to comfort him. It killed me to see my brother broken like this. He was still my brother, even though it was through a marriage that was no more.

"What am I going to do, Roxas?" he asked. It was hard for him to speak through his constant cries. "I can't live without Kairi! She has been my whole reason to live these three years we had been married!" They had gotten engaged a year after Kairi graduated and got married that next year after she had turned twenty and he was twenty-one. Three years was too short for any marriage. It ended too soon. They should have grown old together. Kairi would never grow old. They were supposed to have children. Kairi would never have children. They were supposed to have a life together. Kairi lost her life.

"I don't know, Sora," I replied. "I just don't know."

"You're lucky, Roxas. You still have Xion," he said. "Never take her for granted, Roxas! You hear me? Never!"

"I won't," I replied. I never would take Xion for granted. She meant everything to me and I would cherish every day I was blessed to have with her. I don't know what I ever did to deserve her, but I guess I did something right. She was so wonderful. She had her flaws, but don't we all? I my heart was full of dread for the day that the cruel hands of death would snatch away my precious Xion. "Come on, Sora," I said, breaking the silence. "Let's go back and say goodbye." I stood up and he followed me back out to the funeral where we would say farewell to a woman who touched all of our lives in so many ways.

The service was beautiful and before we knew it, it was over. She was cremated and her ashes were placed in a beautifully crafted urn. Not many people came to the scattering of the ashes. It was just me, Xion, Sora, Axel, Reno, and a few of our friends. Her cousin, Naminé, came. We hadn't seen Naminé in years. Her long, blond hair was even longer now than the last time we saw her, and her eyes seemed even bluer than last time. She looked like an angel. She was wearing a simple, white dress that looked identical to Xion's black dress. We hadn't seen her since Cid's funeral. She was Cid's only daughter, but she lived with her best friend Tifa Lockhart and her family because Cid was so abusive to her. That man died miserable and lonely. His own daughter hated him. She only showed up to his funeral to save face with the rest of the family.

"Hey, Naminé," I said. "It's good to see you again."

"Hello, Roxas," she replied, "It's good to see you too."

"I wish our reunion could have been under happier circumstances," Xion replied. "Kairi would have been happy you came."

"I really wish I would have kept in contact with you guys," she said. "I can't believe Kairi's gone!" Naminé began to cry harder than she ever had. Xion embraced her and let Naminé cry on her shoulder. She was heartbroken because she hadn't even been there when her cousin died.

"We can't either," Xion said. "I'll miss her so much!" Xion choked out through her tears. I was standing next to her shedding a few tears as well. It all just seemed so unreal to me. I was half-expecting Kairi to come walking down the beach and ask us why we were so sad, but I knew that it wouldn't happen. She was dead and she was never coming back!

The scattering service came to a conclusion. We all parted ways after many tearful goodbyes to Kairi. Xion was taking it very hard today and Sora was taking it even harder. I asked him if he wanted to stay with us for a while, but he declined.

"I'll be fine, Roxas," he said. "I know Kairi is happier now and she would want me to be happy."

"Take care, Sora," I said.

"You too, Roxas," he replied.

I tuned to Xion and said, "Let's go home, baby."

"Ok. I love you, Roxas," she said.

"Love you too, Xion," I responded. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and led her to our car.

We arrived at our home some time later that night. I was tired and so was Xion. I took a shower and dressed into my night clothes. Xion did the same. We lay down in our bed and faced each other. I planted a tender kiss on her soft lips. She returned the kiss with a little more fervor than I was anticipating. "I love you so much, Roxas," she said, trying to catch her breath from the passionate kiss.

"I love you too, Xion," I said. We let our bodies do all the thinking for us that night. It would be Saturday that next day; we could afford to stay up all night together and do things that we didn't do nearly enough. We had said our final goodbyes to Kairi and it was time to move on with our lives and enjoy the time we had together while we were still alive. I would never forget what I saw in that room the night she died. I knew deep in my heart that Kairi was happy. She was in the arms of the angels now. And I was in the arms of my angel.


End file.
